Enhancing learners’ learning experiences in synchronous online classes

Abstract

This course is designed to facilitate the learning process of English as a foreign language in synchronous online classes and make it less complicated to learners that face challenges due to their young age, distance environment, L1 and other individual learning difficulties. It is a 15-week course delivered one-on-one with each individual student for 60 minutes per week and aims to teach and practise the four skills of communication with low-intermediate students aged 9-11 years old. This is done through scaffolded adaptation of the activities that were previously implemented in an online school based in China about topics of the learners’ interest in terms of vocabulary, reading, listening, speaking and writing in addition to pronunciation, enunciation and intonation by using different tools of technology and other online educational games and activities. Consequently, the purpose of these activities and games is to enhance learners’ receptive and productive skills through focused listening, speaking, reading and writing as well as developing strong verbal and non- verbal communication with others in the target language. The course has been piloted with 6 learners. The learning outcomes of the Chinese young learners indicate that the goals of the course have been successfully achieved.